Helen A. Baumbach, fan of the opera

Helen A. Baumbach of 19 Willow Court, a homemaker and former secretary, died on Monday morning, Feb. 18, at Laurel Ridge Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Ridgefield. She was 86 years old and the widow William J. Baumbach.
Mrs. Baumbach was born in Bayonne, N.J., on Jan. 31, 1916, a daughter of the late Joseph and Helen Bourgeois Cook. She attended and graduated from New Jersey schools and secretarial school. Before her marriage, she had been a secretary to the president of a hosiery company in Manhattan.
Mrs. Baumbach had lived nearly 50 years in Pelham, N.Y., where she had been a member of the Christ Church of Pelham Manor. She moved to Ridgefield four years ago.
Mrs. Baumbach was a longtime fan of the opera, and frequently attended performances at both the Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Opera. She also enjoyed traveling and was an avid birdwatcher.
Mrs. Baumbach is survived by two daughters: Carol D. Chiusano of Ridgefield and Linda J. Worsfold of Hampstead, N.C.; a son: William J. Baumbach of Long Valley, N.J.; 10 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will take place on Saturday, March 2, at 1 p.m. in the Kane Funeral Home 41 Catoonah Street. Friends may call at the funeral home that day, beginning at noon.
Memorials in Mrs. Baumbach’s memory may be made to Regional Hospice of Western CT, 405 Main Street, Danbury, CT 06810.